SAT score averages of college-bound seniors and percent of graduates taking SAT, by state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1987–88 through 2005–06

State or jurisdiction

1987–88

1995–96

2000–01

2003–04

2004–05

2005–06

Percent of graduates taking SAT, 2004–051

Percent of graduates taking SAT, 2005–061

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Critical reading

Mathe-matics

Writing2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

United States

505

501

505

508

506

514

508

518

508

520

503

518

497

49

48

Alabama

554

540

565

558

559

554

560

553

567

559

565

561

565

10

9

Alaska

518

501

521

513

514

510

518

514

523

519

517

517

493

52

51

Arizona

531

523

525

521

523

525

523

524

526

530

521

528

507

33

32

Arkansas

554

536

566

550

562

550

569

555

563

552

574

568

567

6

5

California

500

508

495

511

498

517

501

519

504

522

501

518

501

50

49

Colorado

537

532

536

538

539

542

554

553

560

560

558

564

548

26

26

Connecticut

513

498

507

504

509

510

515

515

517

517

512

516

511

86

84

Delaware

510

493

508

495

501

499

500

499

503

502

495

500

484

74

73

District of Columbia

479

461

489

473

482

474

489

476

490

478

487

472

482

79

78

3

Florida

499

495

498

496

498

499

499

499

498

498

496

497

480

65

65

Georgia

480

473

484

477

491

489

494

493

497

496

494

496

487

75

70

Hawaii

484

505

485

510

486

515

487

514

490

516

482

509

472

61

60

Idaho

543

523

543

536

543

542

540

539

544

542

543

545

525

21

19

Illinois

540

540

564

575

576

589

585

597

594

606

591

609

586

10

9

Indiana

490

486

494

494

499

501

501

506

504

508

498

509

486

66

62

Iowa

587

588

590

600

593

603

593

602

596

608

602

613

591

5

4

Kansas

568

557

579

571

577

580

584

585

585

588

582

590

566

9

8

Kentucky

551

535

549

544

550

550

559

557

561

559

562

562

555

12

11

Louisiana

551

533

559

550

564

562

564

561

565

562

570

571

571

8

6

Maine

508

493

504

498

506

500

505

501

509

505

501

501

491

75

73

Maryland

509

501

507

504

508

510

511

515

511

515

503

509

499

71

70

Massachusetts

508

499

507

504

511

515

518

523

520

527

513

524

510

86

85

Michigan

532

533

557

565

561

572

563

573

568

579

568

583

555

10

10

Minnesota

546

549

582

593

580

589

587

593

592

597

591

600

574

11

10

Mississippi

557

539

569

557

566

551

562

547

564

554

556

541

562

4

4

Missouri

547

539

570

569

577

577

587

585

588

588

587

591

582

7

7

Montana

547

547

546

547

539

539

537

539

540

540

538

545

524

31

28

Nebraska

562

561

567

568

562

568

569

576

574

579

576

583

566

8

7

Nevada

517

510

508

507

509

515

507

514

508

513

498

508

481

39

40

New Hampshire

523

511

520

514

520

516

522

521

525

525

520

524

509

81

82

New Jersey

500

495

498

505

499

513

501

514

503

517

496

515

496

86

82

New Mexico

553

543

554

548

551

542

554

543

558

547

557

549

543

13

13

New York

497

495

497

499

495

505

497

510

497

511

493

510

483

92

88

North Carolina

478

470

490

486

493

499

499

507

499

511

495

513

485

74

71

North Dakota

572

569

596

599

592

599

582

601

590

605

610

617

588

4

4

Ohio

529

521

536

535

534

539

538

542

539

543

535

544

521

29

28

Oklahoma

558

542

566

557

567

561

569

566

570

563

576

574

563

7

7

Oregon

517

507

523

521

526

526

527

528

526

528

523

529

503

59

55

Pennsylvania

502

489

498

492

500

499

501

502

501

503

493

500

483

75

74

Rhode Island

508

496

501

491

501

499

503

502

503

505

495

502

490

72

69

South Carolina

477

468

480

474

486

488

491

495

494

499

487

498

480

64

62

South Dakota

585

573

574

566

577

582

594

597

589

589

590

604

578

5

4

Tennessee

560

543

563

552

562

553

567

557

572

563

573

569

572

16

15

Texas

494

490

495

500

493

499

493

499

493

502

491

506

487

54

52

Utah

572

553

583

575

575

570

565

556

566

557

560

557

550

7

7

Vermont

514

499

506

500

511

506

516

512

521

517

513

519

502

67

67

Virginia

507

498

507

496

510

501

515

509

516

514

512

513

500

73

73

Washington

525

517

519

519

527

527

528

531

532

534

527

532

511

55

54

West Virginia

528

519

526

506

527

512

524

514

523

511

519

510

515

20

20

Wisconsin

549

551

577

586

584

596

587

596

592

599

588

600

577

6

6

Wyoming

550

545

544

544

547

545

551

546

544

543

548

555

537

12

10

1 Participation rate is based on the projection of high school graduates by the Western Inter­state Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and the number of seniors who took the SAT in each state. 2 Writing data are based on students who took the SAT writing section, which was introduced in March 2005. 3 Participation rate is based on self-reported 2002 twelfth-grade enrollment from D.C.'s public and nonpublic schools because WICHE estimated fewer graduating seniors than actual SAT test takers.
NOTE: Data are for seniors who took the SAT any time during their high school years through March of their senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was used. The SAT was formerly known as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Apti­tude Test. Possible scores on each part of the SAT range from 200 to 800.
SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile [National] Report, selected years, 1987–88 through 2005–06, retrieved August 29, 2006, from http://www.collegeboard.com/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2006/reports.html. (This table was prepared August 2006.)